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About Saving Yasha

“Move aside, panda … Photographed here with affection and care, moon bears, also known as Asiatic black bears, rival their Chinese cousins in childlike appeal.” —The New York Times

Named 2013 Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K-12 by the National Science Teachers Association and the Children’s Book Council

“In the early spring, when the snow was still deep, in a den inside a big hollow tree, Yasha was born. There, he and his mother lived, warm and snug. But one day, hunters came and Yasha’s mother was gone.”

So begins the true story of Yasha, an orphaned moon bear, and how he was adopted into a brand new family. Left without his mother in the Russian wilderness, Yasha was scared and alone. Would he be an orphan forever? Then, two young scientists named Liya and Sergey take him deep into the forest to teach him how to live in the wild. Yasha meets two more cubs, Shum and Shiksha, and soon the three bears are playing together like real brothers and sisters. The scientists protect their new family, but it is also their mission to raise the cubs to become wild bears with skills to survive on their own.

Through heartwarming photographs of this unique rescue story, we watch Yasha learn and grow with his new family until he’s finally ready to be on his own. Curious kids will also appreciate looking at the map of Yasha’s homeland and places where other moon bears live, as well as learning interesting facts about them.

National Geographic supports K-12 educators with ELA Common Core Resources.Visit www.natgeoed.org/commoncore for more information.

About Saving Yasha

“Move aside, panda … Photographed here with affection and care, moon bears, also known as Asiatic black bears, rival their Chinese cousins in childlike appeal.” —The New York Times

Named 2013 Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K-12 by the National Science Teachers Association and the Children’s Book Council

“In the early spring, when the snow was still deep, in a den inside a big hollow tree, Yasha was born. There, he and his mother lived, warm and snug. But one day, hunters came and Yasha’s mother was gone.”

So begins the true story of Yasha, an orphaned moon bear, and how he was adopted into a brand new family. Left without his mother in the Russian wilderness, Yasha was scared and alone. Would he be an orphan forever? Then, two young scientists named Liya and Sergey take him deep into the forest to teach him how to live in the wild. Yasha meets two more cubs, Shum and Shiksha, and soon the three bears are playing together like real brothers and sisters. The scientists protect their new family, but it is also their mission to raise the cubs to become wild bears with skills to survive on their own.

Through heartwarming photographs of this unique rescue story, we watch Yasha learn and grow with his new family until he’s finally ready to be on his own. Curious kids will also appreciate looking at the map of Yasha’s homeland and places where other moon bears live, as well as learning interesting facts about them.

National Geographic supports K-12 educators with ELA Common Core Resources.Visit www.natgeoed.org/commoncore for more information.

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Praise

Named 2013 Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K-12 by the National Science Teachers Association and the Children’s Book Council

“Move aside, panda … Photographed here with affection and care, moon bears, also known as Asiatic black bears, rival their Chinese cousins in childlike appeal.” —The New York Times

“Looking positively fetching in the big, color photos, shaggy Yasha and his ursine cohorts grow visibly as they ramble through woodsy settings, splash in a river and survive an encounter with a prowling tiger before being deemed ready to live on their own.” –Kirkus Reviews“This warm accounting of a lifesaving partnership between animals and humans will be a popular addition for browsing.” –School Library Journal

“Beautiful, full-color photographs help readers catch glimpses into the scientists’ efforts to return a bear to his natural habitat.” —Library Media Connection